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Angrier Than Kratos

Thousands of Gohma float through the sky towards The Eight Guardian Generals. Impurity levels flash on screen, some in the hundred thousands. Asura lets out a yell and jumps toward one. Mashing down on the attack button I punch my way through it. The opening scene for Asura's Wrath is epic in scale, and from this moment on it never lets up.

Asura's Wrath is about a Demigod, Asura, who is framed for murder by his brethren, and witnesses the death of his wife and the kidnapping of his daughter and sent to the underworld Naraka. The newly named Seven Deities are using Asura's daughter, Mithra, for her power to defeat the Gohma; huge creatures that resemble apes, elephants, and other assortment of animals, that have been in battle with the Deities and humans for thousands of years.

The story in Asura's Wrath is smartly written. Don't let the mindless action fool you; the story is heart wrenching, funny, and emotionally charged. Every character feels real, and I found myself liking every God that Asura goes head to head with. Unlike God of War, where Zeus is clearly the bad guy, Asura's Wrath opts for compassion in the story. There were moments where I was pounding the face of one of my friends in that I said "What if Asura is actually the bad guy here?" I enjoyed the way the game made me think and feel that way.

The gameplay is simplistic, with one button for punches, one for rapidly firing energy out of his hands, and a power attack that requires some cooldown after using, with quick time events rounding out the whole experience. It plays out like an anime complete with "to be continued" and "what's to come" style videos before each episode. Episodes take half an hour to complete, including cutscenes, and reward you based on Battle Points, time to complete, and synchronicity. The cutscenes and gameplay are linked together, with no transition, sometimes even having you push a button in the middle of the cutscene too. I was afraid to let go of my controller lest I had to grab it and push a button so that Asura didn't take a boot to the face. In between episodes there are drawings from the different artists on the game that dive into backstory, and help flesh out the characters.

I enjoyed my time with Asura's Wrath, the grand scope of the story, the characters, and action in the game held my attention for the whole story. It is a short game, but just writing about it makes me want to go back and experience it again. Don't expect to pull off heavy combos like God of War or Devil May Cry, but people who want to experience one of the better IP's (and personally my favorite new IP) should definately check this out.

This review was originally published on my blog at ghostofutah.blogspot.com